, 1887-08-19
CURIOUS AND COSTLY CUSTOM.
People showered with Gold Dust-How
Mexican ~nIaidens Make a Mash"

People showered with Gold Dust-How
Mexican nIaidens Make a Mash"
Many interesting stories could be told of
the cascarone balls of the past, but only
one will be mentioned as an instance of
the popularity of this peculiar feature Of
the balls. On one occasion, at a ball given
at the residence of Don Jose Abrego, Pete
Serrano, then a muchacho, was on hand
selling cascarones. A gentleman APP
preached and asked what he would take
for his cascarones.
"One dollar a dozen" was the answer.
'Ho~ many have you'" was the next
inquiry.
Forty dozen"
''All right, IN take hem"
Taking the basket he started down the
hall, but had not taken n dozen steps when
he was surrounded by a number of young
ladies, and in a momen all hands were
diving into the basket, coming out with
double handEuls and crashing them on his
head while he manfully strove to return
u few OF the compliments he received, In
five minute not one of the forty dozen
cascarones remained whole.
The modus operandi of cascarone max
ing Is very simple, and about as follow
Into M empty eggshell-whole, except FOR
an opening in one end just large enough
to remove the original contents-is placed
about "A ~teaspoonful of finely chopped pa
per OF various bright colors and gold tin
sci; II @ the opening is neatly closed by
past4ng u piece of colored paper over it,
and then the is all ready for use.
In Mexico, in the good old times, gold
dust mixed with diamond dust was often
used to fill the egg shells ut the swell fan
dangoes given by the old %grandees. And
it is lone occasionally nowadays by some
~ tJn ,rrna1tIu old done rvhn upfch 70 do
The thing up in style.
Another way of filling the shells was to
use finely perfumed powder, and some
times rare and costly perfumes were used.
Very often the shells were beautifully
decorated and sometimes hand painted.
In Monterey, before the decline of the GUS
tom, the shells were often colored in fan
ciful designs, like Easter eggs, and at 9TH
err times tastefully decorated with differ
ent colors of paper. Chopped paper and
tinsel were usually put in the shells, but
on more than n occasion gold dollar
pieces were used-one in each shell,
Spiced candy was often used, and some
times powder and perfumery. House
wives re~ligiously save the shells of all the
eggs they use and put them away until
cascarone season comes around.
In cascarone breaking it is not neces-
sary that one should be acquainted-in
fact, it is n sort of ''mashing'' proceeding
all through. The act of breaking u cas-
carone on another's mead is to be consid-
cred n compliment by the recipient, who
is in honor bound to return it at the first
opportunity. The proper way to break
them is to crush the shell in the hand
over the PERSONS head, allowing its con-
tents to fall on the head. In the excite
ment, however, the shell is more fire.
quently broken on the head, regardless OF
locality or force used, and is oftentimes
suggestive of anything but amiable feel
ing on the part of the bestower. When
the ice is once broken by some adventur.
GUS maiden or plucky man the contagior
soon spreads, and in a very short time
everybody is chasing around the room
breaking cascarones Unfortunately ant
receiving them from all sides. These
mock battles usually occur between
dances.-Monterey Call Argus.